Railroad-crossing.



- QwHweoM o J..L.BRANHAIVI.'

RAILROAD CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-6.1913.

1 173,924. Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- .l. L. BRANHAM.

RAILROAD CROSSING. APPLICATION FILED NOV. s. 1913.

"1,173,924. Patented Feb. 29,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

JAMES L. BRANHAIVI, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

RAILROAD-CROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2a, 1916.

Application filed November 6, 1913. Serial No. 799,559.

To all whom it may 00nce1'n Be it known that 1, Jules L. BRANHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and 'State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad- Crossings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railroad crossing and the principal object of the invention is to provide a crossing which is so constructed that a car can pass the crossing without any pounding. With ordinary crossings it is necessary to leave spaces between the short rails at the crossing and the main rails of the track and this causes pounding when the car wheels pass across the spaces. 7 7

Another object of my invention is to provide means which will set the crossing in the proper position for the car which is approaching the crossing. 1

Another object of the invention is to so construct this means that it may be operated by the wheels of theapproaching car.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for guiding the movement of the movable rail sections at the crossing.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the description of the following specification and in the claims which are at the end of the specification.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the crossing with the movable rails setto permit a car to pass transversely across the crossing; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the guides which guide the movement of the movable track sections; 3 is a perspective view of "a device forming a part of this invention; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line4-4-of Fig. 1 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a rocker'shaft forming part of this invention. I

In the drawings the numerals 10 and 11 indicate rails of a track going in one direction and the numerals 12 and 13 indicate the rails of a track going in the opposite direction and crossing the rails 16 and 11. Guiding plates 14 extend between the rails 10 and 11 and '12 and 13 and are each provided with a longitudinally extending guiding rib 15 which guides the traveling of the movable rail sections.

Ahead 16 is formed at one end of each of the plates 14: and is provided with arms 17 and 18 extending at right angles to the head 16. The head 16 is provided with lips 19 for engaging one of the main rails and the arms 17 and 18 are provided with lips 20 and 21 respectively, the lips 21 engaging one of the movable track sections and the lips 20 engaging one of the main rails. Lips 22 are carried by the plate 1 1 and engage one of the movable rail sections. It will thus be seen that the movable rail sections will be guided in their movement and thus prevented from having any tendency to move out of the proper position when in use.

The movable rail sections 23 and 24 extend between the rails 12 and 13 in alinement with the rails 10 and 11 and the movable rail sections 25 and 26 extend between therails lO and 11 and in alinement with the rails 12 and 13.

Fingers 27 are carried by the movable rail sections so that the flanges of the wheels will be guided between the main rails and the ends of the movable rails. The inner ends of these movable rails are cut diagonally as shown in Fig. 1 so that the movable rails may be moved from one position to another and yet permit the car wheels to ride easily upon the movable rails without pounding. From inspection of Fig. at it will'be readily seen that the movable rails are provided with grooves extending from the base into the web for the reception of the ribs 15. These ribs by fitting into the grooves of the movable rails guide the movement of the rails and thus prevent the rails from moving transversely while moving longitudinally.

Rocker shafts 28 are rotatably connected with the main rails a short distance before reaching the crossing and the rocker shafts of the respective tracks are connected by rods 29 and 30 which have their ends rotatably mounted upon the cranks 31 of the rocker shafts. Short levers 32 are rigidly mounted upon the rocker shafts and extend close to the main rails so that when the car wheels reach the levers, the flanges of the wheels will move the levers to rock the rocker shafts and thus moving the rods 29 t be slidably connected with the rods29 and 30. 7 It will thus be seen that when one of the rods 29 and 80 is moved by one of its rocker shafts 28, movement will be transmitted to the other rod.

Crossbars 37 are carried by the movable) connected with their respective rods 29 or 30 as the case may be.

i/Vhen the crossing is in the position shown in Fig. l, the track is set for a car traveling along the rails12 and 13. If a car approaches the crossing along the rails 10 and 11, the flanges of the wheels will strike the levers 32 of the rocker shaft 28 and will rock this shaft to move the rod 29. Movement of the rod 29 will swing the links 43 connected with it to draw the movable rails 25 and 26 inwardly to a closed position, thus bringing the rail sections 25 and 26 out of engagement with the rails 10 and 11; At the same time the bell-crank levers will move the rod 30 to swing the links 43 connected therewith, and this will cause the rail sections 23 and 24 to be moved to an open position so that their outer ends will engage the rails 12 and 13. The crossing is then in a position for the car to pass across the same along the tracts 10 and 11. This operation will be repeated whenever a car approaches the track in a direction which requires the crossing to be changed and it will therefore be seen that the cars can pass the crossing without the wheels passing over spaces between the main rails and the crossing rails. This will prevent the pounding which has a tendency to break the car wheels and also destroy the crossing. Iti's, of course, obvious that if a car approaches the crossing with the crossing al ready in the proper position, the operating mechanism would not be operated since the rocker shafts extending between the rails Y of its track would be moved to a lowered position.

A crossing has therefore been provided which will operate very efliciently and which will be operated by the wheels of the car,

thus preventing any danger of the crossing not being in the right position for the approaching car. i

It is, of course, obvious that rocker shafts 28 will be placed a sufiicient distance from the crossing to insure the movable sections of the track having plenty of time'to' asffsume the proper position before the front vwheels ofthe' car reach the crossing.

This crossing is not liable to readily get out of order since the operating mechanism comprises a comparatively few number of very simple parts which operate very easily and which can be easily repaired in case they become'broken.

What is claimed is: 1. A crossing comprising a plurality of movable rail sections, means slidably mounting said rail sections in sets, operating rods extending at a right angle to each other, means for transmitting longitudinal movement from one set of operating rods to the other, rods connected with said movable rail sections, resilient means carriedby said last-mentioned rods for yieldably-holding sald rail sections in a normal position, pivotally' mounted means connecting said lastmentioned rods with their respective operating rods, and means for moving said operat ing rods.

2. A track section comprising main rails posltloned 1n crossing IElfltlOIl, a crossing comprising a plurality of'movable rail sec-- tions, means rigidly connected *with said main rails for slidably supporting'said movable rails in pairs, operating rods'extendingf between saidmain rails in passing and overlapping relation, means connecting saidoperating rods for transmitting longitudinal movement from one rod to the other, rocker shafts carried by said main railsand mm P nected with said operating rods whereby movement of said rocker shafts will transmit longitudinal movement to said operating rods, means carried by said rocker shafts adjacent said main rails whereby said rocker shafts may be operated by a'car passing along said main rails, and means connecting said operating rods with their re-' p whereby movement of either of said rods will'shift e spective movable rail sections the positions of said movable rail sections.

3. A track section comprising main rails meeting in crossing relation, movable crosslng rails posltloned 1n palrs'betweenrsaid main rails, plates positioned beneath said a '115 crosslng rails, means carried by said plates for guiding the movement of said crossing rails, lips carried by said plates for engaging the outer-end portions of said crossing rails and rigidly connecting said plateswith said main rails, operating means extending between said maln rails, and means connecting said operating means with said cross ing rails for moving said crossing into and out of engagement with said main rails p when said operating means is in operation( 4. A track section comprising main rails meeting in crossing relation, slidably mount- I ed crossing rails positioned in sets between said main rails, operating rods extending between said main rails, means, for trans- 10 said operating rods with said last-mentioned rods whereby movement of said operating rods will bring said crossing rails into and out of engagement with said main rails.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES L. BRANHAM.

Witnesses:

OLAF OLsoN, JAMES L. MULLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

